32 Quotes on Effective Preaching

James O. Davis

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1. Personal power and charisma are not mysterious. Some believe that one cannot earn it or learn it. This is not true. The effectiveness of your communications determines the effectiveness of your life.
2. Leaders whom people respect and follow are those who are able to communicate effectively. They have a dynamic presence.
3. If you desire to make a difference, you will have to learn to communicate with a powerful presence. You must be able to communicate what you want to get done in the church, in the ministry, and in life.
4. The pulpit is no greater than the evangelist or pastor who fills it on a weekly basis.
5. If the preacher is boring to the congregation, the people will think God is boring.
6. Some ministers have style without substance, while others have substance without style.
7. Many souls are not saved because the sermon was never delivered to the lost.
8. It is possible for the preacher to speak the message, use up a portion of time, give an altar call, and still not accomplish the intended purpose of the sermon.
9. Many ministers of the Gospel spend most of their time thinking about what they are going to say to the audience, yet the average person is persuaded more by feelings than by facts. Mannerisms, gestures, head movements, facial expressions, platform movement, eye contact and clothing project the overall presence of the presenter.
10. The verbal persuasion of the sermonizer will be greatly determined by the choice of words and phrases. Emotive words drive the theme of the message home. The communicator must be enthusiastic about the message.
11. We must always remember we are not called merely to impress people but to influence their decision making for Christ.
12. A sermon is not too long because the clock says so. It is too long if the audience says so.
13. If you are wondering if the people are following you, walk to the outskirts of the platform and watch the heads of the people. If their heads turn as you walk, they are with you.
14. Some suggestions regarding style are:
• Never read from or memorize a manuscript.
• Never speak in an angry tone.
• Never point at people.
• Never embarrass people.
• Respect people and their time.
• View yourself as a role model.
• Say “thank you” for having the opportunity of speaking to them.
• Start on time and finish on time.
15. It is possible to study the spirit, substance and style of the evangelistic preaching of Jesus. Twenty percent of the New Testament is comprised of the actual words of Christ. The total recorded words of Jesus “would equal approximately ten 30-minute sermons” (Ralph Lewis, 13).
16. The more the evangelist builds a commonality between the message and the listeners, the higher the level of communication between him and his audience.
17. It is the responsibility of the evangelist to make sure the audience understands and applies the message to their lives.
18. There must be a balance between beginning with the needs of the people and the precepts of Scripture. On the one hand, people determine the starting point of the sermon. On the other hand, the Scripture determines the subject and substance of the sermon.
19. Evangelistic preaching requires the evangelist to speak in a language that can be understood.
20. The evangelist or pastor must have a point of contact with the audience. If there is no contact during the sermon, there most likely will be no response to the invitation.
21. The evangelistic preaching of Jesus scratched where people itched in everyday life. Technology may change, but the needs of people remain basically the same.
22. Sermonizers must be cautioned not to make the basis of their sermons contemporary stories. Stories move people, but the Word of God changes people.
23. You must connect at the emotional level, or you will not connect with your listeners at all. You may be able to get facts across intellectually but not be able to persuade your audience.
24. Our brains are made to respond to emotion.
25. There are nine skills for connecting with your audience:
Eye Factor:
• Eye communication
• Posture and movement
• Facial expressions and gestures
• Dress and appearance
Energy Factor:
• Voice and vocal variety
• Language and non-words
• Listener involvement
• Humor
Example Factor:
• Natural Self


26. The four critical skills to developing a powerful presence are:
• Good eye communication
• Tall posture and varied movement
• Animated gestures and facial expressions
• Use the voice energetically but with pauses


27. The stories of your life are among the best tools in your tool kit. The use of images and metaphors, whether created by language or by visual support, helps you keep the connection to people.
28. Our audience has a chronic case of information overload. The average attention span of an adult is only eight seconds. For children, the attention span is only six seconds.
29. The evangelist and the pastor must preach a Christ-centered Gospel.
30. The evangelist and the pastor must preach in order to confirm the Gospel.
31. The goal of Jesus was simple: To preach the Gospel effectively through the power of the Holy Spirit. Without the conscious anointing of the Holy Spirit upon the life and ministry of the minister, there will be no long-lasting fruit in the local church.
32. The end result of a salvation sermon is not decisions for Christ but disciples for Christ. The end result of the soul-winning message is “changed lives.”

 

 

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Personal power and charisma are not mysterious. Some believe that one cannot earn it or learn it. This is not true. The effectiveness of your communications determines the effectiveness of your life. Is it worth the price? Growth is what success is all about. Change is inevitable, but growth is optional.

Leaders whom people respect and follow are those who are able to communicate effectively. They have a dynamic presence. If you desire to make a difference, you will have to learn to communicate with a powerful presence. You must be able to communicate what you want to get done in the church, in the ministry, and in life.

We live in a rapidly changing world. The attention span of most people continues to get shorter and shorter. Concentrating on just one thing seems to becoming a thing of the past. The age of rhetoric is dead. Too many speech teachers are teaching that speaking is a medium of words rather a medium of sight and sound which happens to use words. Reading speeches does not work well.

The pulpit is no greater than the evangelist or pastor who fills it on a weekly basis. If the preacher is boring to the congregation, the people will think God is boring. Some ministers have style without substance, while others have substance without style. Evangelists and pastors need to be able to combine substance with style in their preaching today. The Christian and non-Christian alike are searching for truth in a generation preoccupied with self, avarice and greed.

Substance is “what” is said and style is “how” it is said. There is a certain amount of style in the packaging of a sermon. In John 12:49, Jesus said, “For I did not speak on my own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent me has given me commandment, what to say, and what to speak.” In other words, Jesus was led by the Father in all aspects of his speaking engagements.

What do we mean by the delivery of a sermon? It simply means to deliver “into the possession of the person for whom it was intended” (Charles Brown, 155). “Delivery refers to the methods by which you communicate ‘what’ you have to say to the ‘who’ ” (Arredondo, 65). Many souls are not saved because the sermon was never delivered to the lost. It is possible for the preacher to speak the message, use up a portion of time, give an altar call, and still not accomplish the intended purpose of the sermon.

The evangelistic message is delivered through the means of the “verbal,” “vocal,” and “visual” (Arredondo, 65). Many ministers of the Gospel spend most of their time thinking about what they are going to say to the audience, yet studies have concluded that the decision-making process of people is determined first by visual cues (55 percent), second by vocal (sounds and tones account for 38 percent), and third by verbal (actual words of the presentation account for only 7 percent). This data proves the average person is persuaded more by feelings than by facts. The visual cues the speaker gives to the audience are positively or negatively persuasive. Mannerisms, gestures, head movements, facial expressions, platform movement, eye contact, and clothing project the overall presence of the presenter.

The vocal effectiveness of the presenter is determined by quality, intonation, pauses, and fillers (Arredondo, 77-79). The voice should project the different “landscapes” of the sermon. There should be changes in volume, speed and tone according to the content of the message. Pauses help the preacher and the audience to catch up with the message. Fillers should be avoided at all cost as they are distracting to the congregation.

The verbal persuasion of the sermonizer will be greatly determined by the choice of words and phrases. Emotive words drive the theme of the message home. The communicator must be enthusiastic about the message. Since only 7 percent of the impact in the decision-making process is made up of actual words, every word and phrase of the itinerant should be chosen carefully for maximum impact. We must always remember we are not called merely to impress people but to influence their decision-making for Christ. If an evangelist or a pastor is saying one thing but the voice is saying another, confusion will be the result in the minds of the audience.

Just like there are unique styles of clothing to cover our physical bodies, there are unique styles of communication to clothe our thoughts. Charles Brown states:

You cannot send your ideas out naked—they will refuse to go if they have any shred of modesty about them, and people will refuse to welcome them into good society if they undertake to make their approach in such an unseemly way. (177)

Know your audience at all times during the preaching of the sermon. This is crucial to effectiveness. A sermon is not too long because the clock says so. It is too long if the audience says so. If you are wondering if the people are following you, walk to the outskirts of the platform and watch the heads of the people. If their heads turn as you walk, they are with you. However, if the people refuse to follow you, you need to conclude the sermon as quickly as possible. Some additional suggestions regarding style are:

1. Never read from or memorize a manuscript.
2. Never speak in an angry tone.
3. Never point at people.
4. Never embarrass people.
5. Respect people and their time.
6. View yourself as a role model.
7. Say “thank you” for having the opportunity of speaking to them.
8. Start on time and finish on time.

It is possible to examine exegetically the speeches and sermons of the New Testament asking a variety of questions relating to evangelistic preaching. Who was the finest evangelist in the New Testament? Who “connected” and “communicated” with his audience more effectively than any other New Testament evangelist? Was it the Seventy? Was it Philip? Paul? Or was it Jesus?

Jesus Christ served as a Spirit-filled evangelist in the New Testament era. Even though one could argue that John the Baptist served as an evangelist in the New Testament era, Jesus ascribed John as the greatest of all the “prophets” (Mt 11:7-15; Lk 7:26-28). Jesus followed the two-fold ministry tracks of evangelizing the lost and equipping the saints (Eph 4:11-16). Christ trained leaders for the purpose of evangelism. He was not only the great physician, the master teacher, and the suffering servant but also “the excellent evangelist.” He epitomizes the “evangelist’s paradigm” for culturally relevant, Bible-based, Spirit-empowered evangelistic preaching that produces changed lives. Jesus was a master communicator. He inductively and deductively combined “the text” with his “times” for the dual purposes of evangelizing the lost and equipping his disciples. In order for evangelists and pastors to be more effective in the 21st century, they need to compare and contrast their preaching ministry to the first-century evangelistic preaching ministry of Jesus.

It is possible to study the spirit, substance, and style of the evangelistic preaching of Jesus. Twenty percent of the New Testament is comprised of the actual words of Christ. The total recorded words of Jesus “would equal approximately ten 30-minute sermons” (Ralph Lewis, 13).

PREACH A COMMUNICATED GOSPEL

The first corollary is the evangelist or the pastor must preach in order to communicate the gospel. Teaching is not simply talking. Learning is not simply listening. What does it mean to communi¬cate? The term “communication” comes from the Latin word communis, meaning “common.” Commonness or commonality must first be established before effective communication can take place between people (Hendricks 1987, 98). The more the evangelist builds a commonality between the message and the listeners, the higher the level of communication between him and his audience. It is the responsibility of the evangelist to make sure the audience understands and applies the message to their lives. “True biblical teaching doesn’t take place unless the students have learned” (Wilkinson, 26). What does it mean to “teach” and “to learn”? Are these concepts related?

When Moses spoke to his people in Deuteronomy, he used “teach” (4:1) and “learn” (5:1) in his message. In the Hebrew, the same term is used for “teach” and “learn.” He did not separate teaching and learning. How can evangelists know if they are effectively communicating the gospel? They can know by what the audience learns and applies to their lives (Wilkinson, 26-27).

There must be a balance between beginning with the needs of the people and the precepts of Scripture. On the one hand, people determine the starting point of the sermon. On the other hand, the Scripture determines the subject and substance of the sermon. This is not abdicating the supremacy of Scripture or the biblical basis for the sermon. This simply underscores the simple truth that preachers must begin where people are and not expect them to first come up to their level.

In John 4, Jesus went to Samaria to preach the gospel. Jesus’ conversation with the woman at the well is an excellent model for evangelists and pastors who wish to communicate the gospel effectively. Even though Evangelist Ron Hutchcraft has established this model for evangelists, I would like to build upon it. Jesus had come into this world “to seek and save that which was lost” (Lk 19:10). Just as Jesus could not reach the Samaritans by preaching the gospel in Jerusalem, evangelists and pastors cannot preach evangelistically unless they are committed to “communicating” the gospel. According to Ron Hutchcraft, ministers must be willing to communicate the gospel “on their turf”…“in their people group”…and “in their language” (58-59). Evangelistic preaching requires the evangelist to speak in a language that can be understood. Evangelists “have to translate the Gospel, not just transmit it” (Hutchcraft, 59). Translation is difficult in a constantly changing culture. “Christianese” is a foreign language in post-Christian America.

PREACH A CONNECTED GOSPEL

The evangelist or pastor must have a point of contact with the audience. If there is no contact during the sermon, there most likely will be no response to the invitation. The point of contact for Jesus with the woman at the well in Samaria was, “Give me a drink” (Jn 4:7). He began with the physical thirst before moving to spiritual thirst (Hutchcraft, 60). What are the points of contact for preachers today?

Jesus engaged his listeners. He used stories, dialogue, questions, comparisons and contrasts, common experiences, creativity, metaphors and imagination to connect the gospel to his generation. Jesus went “from the concrete to the abstract, from the facts to the principles, from the data to the dictum” (Ralph Lewis, 27).

The evangelistic preaching of Jesus scratched where people itched in everyday life. Ralph and Greg Lewis have provided a list of Jesus’ preaching topics. Jesus spoke on:

Adultery, anger, anxiety, avarice, death, debts, doubts, eternity, faith, fasting, fault-finding, giving, greed, honesty, hypocrisy, joy, kindness, knowledge, law, legalism, life, lust, marriage, money, oaths, parenthood, prayer, pretense, respect, responsibility, reward, rulers, sex, slander, speech, stewardship, taxes, trust, unkindness, virtue, wisdom, and zeal. (29)

Technology may change, but the needs of people remain basically the same. Every topic in the list above is still a contemporary need in our society. Jesus knew how to connect with his listeners.

Furthermore, Jesus connected with his hearers by the stories or parables (illustrations) he told them. Everyone loves a good story. According to Mark 4:34, “He did not speak to them without a parable.” A descriptive story turns ears into eyes so people can see the truth in everyday life. Thirty-three percent of all the recorded teachings of Christ were parables or stories (Ralph Lewis, 86). However, sermonizers must be cautioned not to make contemporary stories the basis of their sermons . Stories move people, but the Word of God changes people.

We must learn how to release the power of the inner brain and become more relaxed, confident and informal in our communicating and more persuasive at reaching the inner brain of our listeners. The outer brain is located right between our ears. Robert Jastrow observed in The Enchanted Loom, “The human brain is more complicated than the astronomer’s universe. It is the most complicated object that science has ever tried to understand.” The whole brain contains nearly ten billion nerve cells. Because of the intricate complexity of the brain’s circuitry, the number of possible interconnections between the cells of our brain is many orders of magnitude greater than the number of atoms in the entire universe. That is amazing! The vast elaborate circuitry of the human brain gives it a subtlety and speed that even a hundred crazed super computers working in sync could never hope to match. Mind researchers believe the human brain is capable of reviewing up to 10,000 separate factors at once. The possible connections in the universe is 1 followed by a hundred zeros, but the number of different interconnections possible in the human brain is 1 followed by eight hundred zeros.

Moreover, in order for culturally relevant ministers to persuade their listeners to believe the Gospel, they must not only build a bridge between the spiritual and the physical but also between the spiritual and mental. Learning involves the inner and outer brain which has a dual nature. In the outer brain, there are two halves. “The left side deals more with facts, the right side more with feelings. The left with the rational, the right with the relational” (Ralph Lewis, 38). The left side thinks in principles while the right side thinks in pictures. However, overall, the inner brain is the seat of the emotion, and the outer brain is the place for thinking.

Jesus used memory, imagination, nature, and experience to paint word pictures on the canvas of the minds of his audience. How does the majority of people learn? They learn by perceiving (right half of brain) and processing information (left half of brain). Word pictures connect both halves of the brain (Ralph Lewis, 48-50). W. Macneile Dixon was astute in his conclusion: “The human mind is not, as philosophers would have you think, a debating hall, but a picture gallery” (Wiersbe, 24).

The evangelistic preaching ministry of Jesus involved both the inner and outer brain and both halves of the outer brain of his listeners. While most of our evangelistic preaching uses the left side of the outer brain, Jesus mostly opened the gate through the inner brain by speaking to the right side of the outer brain. In essence, persuasive evangelistic preaching steps through the gate of the inner brain and causes the right and left halves of the brain to focus simultaneously on the Gospel.

Left-brain evangelistic preaching answers the question, “What is the point?” Right-brain evangelistic preaching answers the question, “What is the picture?” “Whole brain” evangelistic preaching answers the question, “What is the package for the people?” When the “package” (vocabulary, style, dialogue, stories, comparisons and contrasts, imagination, life experiences, metaphors, technology, etc.) and the “product” (the Gospel) are correctly assimilated together, there is a connection made between the preacher and his hearers. You must connect at the emotional level, or you will not connect with your listeners at all. You may be able to get facts across intellectually but not be able to persuade your audience. You will not motivate people enough to get them to do what you want them to do. Our brains are made to respond to emotion.

People buy on emotion and justify on fact. Consider many of our biggest decisions in life. Your first job. Your college. Your mate. Facts are important. You better get the facts. However, we buy on emotion and justify on facts. If you do not connect at the emotional level, then you will not connect at all.

The reason for this conclusion is the power of the inner brain. The inner brain is our emotional brain. The inner brain physically directs our outer brain or our thinking brain. The inner brain makes you cringe at an explosion. It is your survival mechanism. It makes you jump back from something that is too hot. It signals you when it is time to eat or drink.

I have alluded to the gatekeeper of communication. There is a gate between us in which communication must pass. The gate is attended by a gatekeeper, standing guard at the house of the intellect. The name of this gatekeeper is the “inner brain.” Will the gatekeeper open the gate of communication? Will our message get through, or will it be blocked? The gatekeeper has sole control. When you understand how the brain works, you will then be able to use your entire brain when speaking.

The outer brain is where language is developed. This is where creativity and decision-making take place. This information has a lot to do with how you present before a congregation. If you plan to communicate with your listener, you must make an emotional connection so the inner brain will pass on the information to the thinking brain.

The inner brain is the emotional part of the brain. The inner brain makes the decision whether a person is believable or trustworthy. The inner brain answers one question: “Is this information safe?” If we are energetic, enthusiastic, and believable, our words may make it to the outer brain. If we are nervous and boring, then our words will never have impact. The message will be tuned out.

There are nine skills to connection. These skills develop energy, openness, and visualness.

Eye Factor:

1. Eye communication

2. Posture and movement

3. Facial expressions and gestures

4. Dress and appearance

Energy Factor:

5. Voice and vocal variety

6. Language and non-words

7. Listener involvement

8. Humor

Example Factor:

9. Natural Self

Out of these nine skills, the four critical ones to developing a powerful presence are:

1. Good eye communication

The number one skill to be aware of and work on is eye communication. The eyes are the only sensory organs that have brain cells as part of the makeup. Eyes are critical in small and large audiences. We are aware of our eye contact. Monitor the eye contact of others.

2. Tall posture and varied movement

How do you hold yourself? Do you lean on one leg? Do you slouch? Do you move around? Stand tall. Be fluid instead of being stiff while speaking. People will treat you like you want to be treated. Often we forget the lower body while speaking. Do you rock back and forth? Do you pace? Does your posture speak positively about you? Your weight should be in the forward position.

3. Animated gestures and facial expressions

Are you aware of how you look to others? Do you smile? Do you have awkward or annoying gestures? You need to gesture naturally, and your gesture should coincide with what you are saying. Do you have a nervous gesture? Do you smile?

4. Use the voice energetically but with pauses

Your voice is your primarily vehicle. Your voice is what gets you where you need to go in a presentation. Your voice should convert energy. Record your voice. Your vocal tone and quality can account for up to 84 percent of your message when you are not seen by anyone…when you are on the phone, for example. Use the power of the pause. Pauses add power to your presentation. Pause at important points or phrases. This will give warm talk in a cold world.

PREACH A CONTINUED GOSPEL

You must make the emotional connection at the beginning, maintain your interest, and end with a bang. The stories of your life are among the best tools in your tool kit. The use of images and metaphors, whether created by language or by visual support, helps you keep the connection to people.

Why do our listeners need help in listening and remembering? The reason is because our audience has a chronic case of information overload. The average attention span of an adult is only eight seconds. For children, the attention span is only six seconds. The mind loves images and emotional stimulus. Images are so important because of the makeup of our first and second brains:

1. Within our first brain is a component called the hippocampus. The hippocampus is triggered by feelings of sorrow, joy, or fear. When the hippocampus comes in contact with things that trigger this response, it records the impression as a VCR records a television show. The record button is pushed, and the image is stored in the long-term memory portions of our brain. This is why we remember so vividly the birth of a child, the JFK assassination, the explosion of the Challenger.

2. It is the speaker’s responsibility to discover what appropriate images or memory hooks are necessary in a presentation. Make your presentations SHARP:

Stories

Humor

Analogies

References and quotes

Pictures and visual aids

All of the SHARP principles have on thing in common. They all work together to bring life to your presentation. They all engage the listener to see and feel the presentation in their minds or on the emotional level. You must add SHARPs to make the sermon memorable.

a. Stories and examples. Long before there was writing, there were stories. Stories can be passed from generation to generation. This art form has been neglected. The key to a good story is the ability to tap into the heart. It moves us from thinking to feeling. A really good story takes us to that place in time.

Tips:

Be brief.

Use sensory language.

Be conversational.

After the story, state your point explicitly and link it back to the main theme.

Make them Velcro heart stories (make them stick to the heart).

b. Humor. This is not about telling jokes. This is the concept of adding lightness and personality to yourself and your presentation. Humor is more humanization. It builds a bond between you and the audience. Humor brings energy to the people with whom you are communicating. It increases the level of confidence.

Tips:

Lighten up on your attitude about yourself.

Do not expect belly laughs.

Smile and allow time for humor to have its effect.

Exaggerate certain portions of your content to humorous proportions.

c. Analogies. It is a natural function of the mind to compare, contrast, categorize and cross-reference. This is what creates analogies. Ask yourself how a concept or idea is like something else. Appropriate analogies make the complex simple, rather than the simple, complex.

d. References and quotes. This is independent information cited to support your point of view or main thrust of a certain part of your presentation. This information can come from newspapers, magazines, books, interviews, tapes, etc. Quotes can be formal or restated to make them more memorable. Quotes add depth to your presentation.

Tips: Read a quote rather than misquoting what someone once said. Be sure to acknowledge the source. Introduce the reference or quote to cause your listener to pay careful attention to what is about to be said and heard. Select only the powerful portions. Do not make the quote too long.

e. Pictures and Visual Aids

(1) Reasons for Visuals

(a) Retention increases from 14 percent to 38 percent when an audience sees as well as hears a presentation.

(b) Speakers’ goals are met 34 percent of the time when visuals are used during the communication.

(c) Group consensus is 21 percent higher in meetings at which visual aids are incorporated.

(d) The time required to communicate a concept can be reduced up to 40 percent with the use of visuals. People basically remember two things more than anything else when a presentation is completed: the emotional tone of the speaker and the visual images of the speaker and the visual aids. We live in a rapidly changing world. In order to create a powerful presence, the presenter needs to include the use of computers, and videos need to be considered as visual aids. Remember, these are supports, not the message. These visuals awaken the first brain. They increase the listener’s attention span.

(2) Rules for Visuals

(a) Use color. It attracts attention and increases retention as much as three or four times. Select your background colors first and then select your script color. Make it easy on the eyes.

(b) Simple to read and easy to absorb. Use the one-concept-per-visual rule. This will allow the audience time to digest the concept in eight seconds. Do not put a lot of text on each slide. Say more than you show. Do not show more than you say. Use conceptual visuals to make the point. When you use text, do not read it. Your audience can read it for themselves. Lay an overhead on the floor, stand over it, and see if you can read it. If you cannot read it, then the wording on the overhead is too small for the audience.

(c) Keep the visuals balanced to make them proportionate and organized. Make them fit natural tendencies.

(d) Variety is the spice of life. In other words, use graphics, pie charts, photos, and video clips.

(e) In composition, use contrasting colors, bullets, italics, and larger fonts to focus your audience on the key elements. Fancy type slows the reader down. Make charts match what you are trying to say. Good charts are immediately comprehended. Let the visuals give the point of view of what the numbers mean. Save the details for a handout.

PREACH A CHRIST-CENTERED GOSPEL

The fourth corollary is the evangelist and the pastor must preach a Christ-centered Gospel. The Apostle Paul declared to the Corinthians, “For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified” (1 Co 2:2). Philip preached Jesus Christ to the Samaritans (Ac 8:5, 12) and to the Ethiopian eunuch (Ac 8:35). The Seventy preached the kingdom of God in the name of Jesus (Lk 10:9, 11, 17). Peter proclaimed “peace through Jesus Christ” to Cornelius and his household (Ac 10:36). The central thrust of the five-fold ministry of Ephesians 4:11-16 is the maturing of the body of Jesus Christ. Jesus is not simply “an issue” in evangelistic preaching but the “main issue” in the evangelistic sermon.

When the woman at the well wanted to talk about religious matters relating to the worship of God, Jesus directed her thoughts back to himself, the Messiah (John 4:24-26). She came face to face with the realization that Jesus was the Son of God. He is the Christ (John 4:29). Evangelistic preaching crystallizes Jesus in the minds of people. “Christ should not be clouded by Christianity” (Hutchcraft, 62).

PREACH A CONFIRMED GOSPEL

The fifth corollary is the evangelist and the pastor must preach in order to confirm the Gospel. Evangelistic preaching involves the anointing of the Holy Spirit upon the evangelist. In Jesus’ first sermon, he said:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor, He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are downtrodden, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord (Lk 4:18-19).

Jesus announced to the congregation that he was “called” to preach the gospel. “The Holy Spirit is the calling agent of the church. He alone has the prerogative of appointing men to preach the glorious gospel of Christ” (Perry, 18). The goal of Jesus was simple: To preach the Gospel effectively through the power of the Holy Spirit for the salvation of the lost.

According to Perry and Strubhar, there is a three-fold strategic role of the Holy Spirit in sermon preparation for the evangelist. First, the Holy Spirit is the “producer” (inspiration) of the Word of God (2 Tim 3:16-17; 2 Pe 1:20-21). Second, the Holy Spirit is the “penetrator” of the man of God. The Holy Spirit opens the mind (illumination) of the evangelist so proper interpretation and application can be made to the people. Third, the Holy Spirit is the “provider” of the evangelist’s authority during the actual preaching of the Gospel (Perry, 21-23). There can be no doubt that the Holy Spirit confirmed the message and ministry of Jesus Christ. The gospels are filled with recorded miracles and transformed lives. Without the conscious anointing of the Holy Spirit upon the life and ministry of the minister, there will be no long-lasting fruit in the local church.

PREACH A COMPLETED GOSPEL

The sixth corollary is the evangelist should preach in order to continue the Gospel. The end result of a salvation sermon is not decisions for Christ but disciples for Christ. Evangelists are often portrayed as loggers cutting down trees and pastors as craftsmen designing furniture out of the wood. Even though there is an element of truth in this unique evangelist-pastor relationship, the end result of the soul-winning message is “changed lives.”

Evangelistic preaching should ultimately produce evangelists who will carry the Gospel to their respective people groups. This concept is often neglected in traditional homiletical textbooks. The task of the communicator “is not to impress people, but to impact them; not just to convince them, but to change them” (Hendricks 1987, 77). In John 4:39, Jesus Christ knew “the most effective way to reach Samaritans was to have a Samaritan become an evangelist” (Hutchcraft, 62). New Testament evangelistic preaching does more than produce a “great moment of evangelism”; it fosters a “great movement of evangelism” (Hutchcraft, 62). Is our evangelistic preaching ministry leaving behind an army of evangelizers in the local church and community? Are we focusing on what we produce or what we reproduce? Success requires a successor. Is it not time for the evangelist to preach like Jesus?

 

James O. Davis is the cofounder of the Billion Soul Initiative seeking to expand the Kingdom of God by one billion more believers worldwide. Dr. Davis is also the founder of the Synergize Pastors Conference being held in Orlando, Florida on January 29-31, 2008. Dr. Davis, a trainer of preachers, has more than 80 hours of graduate studies in the field of homiletics and is well-known as a highly effective preacher.